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ZCZC QMA00 1
PPP IRS1QECR
2458.315.19 JPEPQECX
TO LOGISTICS PERSEPHONE DIPL.EARTHSYS.GOV
FROM LA24
Dear Lou,
correction to last report:
PEP QMA to C are lost due to damages, QMD has 40% left, QME is fully ok,
QMF to J are lost; therefore we have PEP QMD40%,QME100% and LAZ QMB90%,
in total 2.3 GQbit available.
This allows us to transmit&receive about 64 kB daily during 100 years,
therefore we have decided to allow ourselves to be a bit less terse.
However, please don't send any binary data, and keep your filter for
mail headers; if it's ok for you, we also keep our simple headers.
Of course, we do hope Charon73 will make it here in 29 years!
What's its equipment? How can we contact it during approach?
We will scan the surface for remainders of the object causing crash,
and for other risks for approaching vessels.
Survey drone was destroyed, but we could salvage SAR and infrared
camera, and installed them in the cargo drone.
Due to destroyed GHz comms, we had to install the PEP MHz TRX in
the drone, resulting in only low bandwidth remote control.
To compensate, we have added more memory and let the drone fly
mostly autonomously, reviewing footage after it has returned.
We have begun with a sector +/-5 deg around our descent track,
1800 km away from our base, as we assume impact was 2000 km from
crash site, based on logs. At survey speed of 30 sqkm/h, survey
time of 10 h/day, we expect segment area of abt 100e3 sqkm between
1700 and 2300 km from base surveyed in about 300 d or 10 months.
Searching from center of track, we hope to finish earlier, though.
If the drone doesn't fail, of course.
Hydroponics still are out of equilibrium, with kind of a fungal
infection affecting almost 2/3 of all plants. Unfortunately missing
LA04/Meru was our best expert, and the second best LA11/Xinxin is
dead. LA09/Serge has some biology knowledge, but he's not sure how
to best fight the infection. We have decided on strict isolation of
the farms: Serge and Pata work only on the infected ones, trying to
kill the fungus, while Adhika and I are handling the good ones only,
to reduce probability of contamination. We only meet in person after
thorough disinfection, which we do after 21 d or more. Otherwise,
we only use intercom or material/food exchange via UV loadlock.
Remaining emgfood is 778 DU. We finally were able to get all food
from farms, but have agreed on putting two of us back to cryo if
we need emgfood again. Water, air and energy are all fine for now.
Weather is fair, winds so far not more than 35 km/h and easy on our
shelter. We have two working outside locks, one large enough
for the robotrover and cargo drone, and a 3rd reserve.
Spares and tools are ok, except for comms as reported.
Morale is fair. We had some tensions about food consumption, but
now that we have plans and split into two teams, we're doing ok.
We're keeping a 7 d cycle and celebrate "Sunday" by telling us
about our preferred books or stories during two special hours,
and when we all meet in person, we do a big "meal" together.
Pata is trying to teach us all Morse, just for fun.
Reviewing drone footage is tedious work but at least exhausting.
This planet is rather boring so far, with its shiny black rocks,
noble gas breezes, and bright Regulus C always at the zenith.
I'd give a DU for a dusk!
/Vesna
NNNN